Conservative GOP Icon Gets On Board The Trump Train

As presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump prepared for high-stakes meetings Thursday with Republican leaders in Washington, he picked up a major endorsement from a Republican who authored America’s conservative revolution of the 1990s.

“I endorse Donald Trump. I am going to work very hard for the nominee,” former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Wednesday night on Fox News’ Hannity. During the show, Gingrich, who has been mentioned as a possible Trump vice presidential candidate, did not rule out being Trump’s running mate.

Also on Wednesday, Trump received the endorsement of billionaire oil investor T. Boone Pickens, who said it was time to “try somebody different.”

The support came as Trump prepared for meetings with Capitol Hill Republicans, including House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., who last week caused major ripples in the GOP by saying he was “not ready” to support Trump.

Gingrich said friendships with other presidential candidates had precluded him from formally getting behind Trump earlier in the campaign.

“John Kasich is a great personal friend of mine; Ted Cruz ran a great campaign,” the former 2012 presidential candidate said. “I tried to be an objective observer.”

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However, Gingrich has been vocal in praising Trump.

In a March interview, he said the candidate had more to offer than many observer realized.

“You are talking about a guy who was smart enough to build Trump Towers, build lots of hotels, build lots of casinos, and own the Miss Universe contest. He is not stupid. For many people, that seems to be inconceivable because they have a university Ph.D. theory of being smart,” Gingrich said then.

Gingrich also noted that Trump is highly effective in private meetings.